All of our rum is made entirely in Orkney, from start to finish. Molasses is imported (unfortunately it’s hard to grow sugar cane in Orkney) and fermented for around 7 days. In our temperature controlled 2000 litre fermenter and 2000 litre still. The ability to ferment in the still, allows us to do a stripping run as soon as fermentation is finished. This stripped molasses wash (or low wine) is then returned to the still for a final spirit run.

We produce a range of rum styles, using various fermentation techniques with different percentages of backset/dunder. Mainly focusing on heavier, more full bodied rums.

J. Gow Rum takes its name from the infamous Orkney pirate John Gow. His short, violent career began in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and ended in Orkney. He was imprisoned, tried and hung. Not once, but twice, (after the rope snapped the first time) at London’s execution dock on the 11th of June 1725. While the name conjures up images of pirates, it also creates imagery of the brutal seas and rugged coastlines surrounding Orkney.

The Distillery

The rum is produced in Scotland, on Lamb Holm a tiny island (0.15 square miles). Home to the Italian Chapel and connected to mainland Orkney by the Churchill barriers. The distillery sits metres away from the sea. It may well be one of the smallest rum producing islands in the world.

Distillery tours and tastings available. Rum can be purchased from the shop at the distillery or online and delivered to anywhere in the UK.